She tried to remain friends with him all throughout Hogwarts. In fact, they were best friends. It was implied in the book that they could have been an item and that Lily held romantic feelings towards Snape. Lily detested the crowd Snape had fallen into though. The Dark Magic the group was using and Snape's constant use of the word Mudblood bothered her a great deal.
Lily didn't give a damn about James for a long time and told Snape she considered him to be "an arrogant toerag."
Snape calling Lily a mudblood was the final straw though.
She knew Snape was in a group of kids who all aimed to be Death Eaters, she knew what Snape thought of other kids who were born of similar lineage to hers, she hated all of it and ultimately left Snape, telling him that they both chose different paths.

Lily went out with James approximately two years after she cut off ties with Snape and she only went out with James after "his head deflated a bit."

Now imagine you're flirting with a girl you like and some creepy guy walks up giving you the stink eye. You know this guy practically stalks the girl and being like 16 years old you shove him off (oh noez bullying!) and after he ***** up his chance with the girl by calling her ******* you charm her and win the day.

Now, if I remember correctly, James was an auror. They don't let just any thug become an auror. Not to mention, Lily wasn't some dumb cunt. If he was a real ass then she probably would have ditched him... No really, just because he was a dick to Snape doesn't make him the worst bully in the world.

I was when I read it, it's been like 2 years since my last read through...

James was chasing after Lily for most of his time at Hogwarts so there's that...

Not to mention James learned animagus to comfort Lupin. Sounds like a good friend to me.

Also, if I recall Snape insulted James in their first meeting by claiming anyone who wants to be in gryffindor to be all brawn with no brain... which is stupid because ravenclaw got the brains trope while slytherin got the asshole trope.

But wait, there's more. They fought for their entire stay at hogwarts, with Snape trying to expell James for being dickish to him while James hexed him for trying to study the dark arts. Looks like mutual hate, not bullying, to me.

You also ignore the fact that Lily isn't a dumb cunt who'd fall for a thug and the order of pheonix doesn't exactly hire assholes to be their ranks...

Snape was never exactly a social delight, but his attacks were never directly to Potter. He insulted him, yes, but he was actually insulting all Gryffindor when he said that. Also, learning dark arts was not an aggression, it was a developed interest. James freaked out because he felt guilty and thought Severus was going to take revenge, that's why he wanted him out. What Potter did to Snape was in fact a personal attack. And being nice with Lupin proves nothing. Even the jerkiest idiot can be nice with his friends.

I'm saying he already was a piece of crap and stopped acting like that because he wanted to get laid. If he was truly changed, that change would've included fixing things with Snape, or at least trying. He was just the same douche pretending to be different for a girl, and that happens a lot, not just in the magic world, but in the real one too. He was a great wizard, but that doesn't make him a great person.

He dated her for two years which is awful long to play pretend, married her which must mean she was more than just some girl he's trying to impress, and gave his life protecting her and his kid... but he's a douche, right?

So what, only a mass murdering death eater is allowed to redeem himself?

I never said Snape was perfect. But he got over that stage, and he did everything to protect Harry, despite how much he hated him, without getting a ******* "I'm sorry" from James. And he never even saw the fruits of his actions, because Harry did not realise what a hero he was until it was too late to thank him. All this started because you said James Potter was a great father. Well, as I see it, Severus Snape was more than a father for Harry. He didn't even love him, and he gave him everything. James never proved his real value. He saved him, yes, but all he did was putting himself in front of him. That's an instinctive reaction, not a proof of kindness. and love is easy when you haven't had the time to raise the child. I wonder if the same effect would happened if the murder occurred eight years later.

JAMES GOT OVER THAT STAGE! He stopped being a prick, he was a commited and loving husband and friend many. He fought against magic hitler... Sure he didn't go back to that one guy he hated and apologize, but come on... That's a bit much.

Snape didn't give 2 ***** about harry. So far as he cared Harry was just a surrogate for Lily. He wished that Harry and James would die and not Lily...

My god... You're actually trying to demonize a guy just because he was enemies with your personal OTP... Face it... hating Snape doesn't immediately invalidate you as a decent human being.

Hey, maybe if Snape and pedigrew weren't a couple of cocksucking magic hitler nazis James would have gotten to be a father for more than a year. But he was a piece of **** who not only never said sorry to the guy he consistently fought with... HE HELPED KILL HIM.

Seriously... I'll say it a third time... are you expecting James to be a god damned saint? He was an ass to one guy. So what. Being an ass to one guy does not make you a douche... joining magic Hitler kinda does... Though of course he stopped following magic Hitler so all the people he murdered don't count on his permanent record, right?